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SCMP

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. US economic gap over China to widen, but Iran might bring them closer: former UN official
The economic divide between the United States and China is projected to widen to US$11 trillion by the end of the decade, yet escalating geopolitics could inadvertently act as a stabilising force for bilateral ties, according to a prominent global strategist.
2. Why King Charles’ ‘Trump bell’ gift amuses Chinese internet users
Chinese social media reacted with amusement and disbelief as Britain’s King Charles gave US President Donald Trump a World War II-era British submarine bell as a gift, highlighting differing cultural interpretations of the unusual gesture.
3. Why more Singapore graduates are choosing jobs below their qualifications: ‘it’s meaningful’

A new survey shows 19.4 per cent of Singapore’s resident workforce had academic qualifications beyond what was required for their job in 2025.
4. China’s calls to open Hormuz show the limits of its ties to Iran, experts say

While China has begun to put pressure on Iran to end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, its statements have been carefully worded, experts say, showing how the prolonged conflict is testing Beijing’s relationship with Tehran.
5. Are US agents around Trump armed with Chinese red dot sights?

A press photo of a US protective agent responding to a gunman breaching security during last weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner has ignited debate within America’s firearms community.
6. Homeowner at Redhill Peninsula fined nearly HK$1 million for illegal structures

A Hong Kong court has fined the owner of a luxury home at Redhill Peninsula nearly HK$1 million (US$173,938), the harshest penalty to date for illegal structures discovered during a government inspection at the seaside estate three years ago.
7. Foreign forces promoting ‘lying flat’ to undermine China’s economy: top anti-spy agency
Foreign forces are using social media to spread the notion that young Chinese people should be “lying flat” and not working hard as they seek to undermine China’s development, the country’s top anti-espionage agency has warned.


Why North Korean women footballers’ rare match in the South is keenly watched

Two worlds collide: the regulatory battlefield hanging over the EU’s ties with China

Viral video shows man spraying passengers with unknown substance aboard Guangzhou train

Hong Kong residential property upturn drives recovery in office, retail: Morgan Stanley

China

King Charles’ gift amuses Chinese, anti-spy agency makes allegation: SCMP’s 7 highlights

King Charles gives a state dinner speech at the White House on Tuesday, with a ship’s bell bearing the inscription “Trump 1944” to his right. Photo: AP

Office workers in Singapore’s Central Business District. Photo: Shutterstock

China’s representative Fu Cong at the UN headquarters in New York on April 7. China’s diplomatic statements are seen to indicate the delicate balance it is striking between rhetorical solidarity with Iran and its regional economic interests. Photo: Xinhua

Security officials react as a shooter opens fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, in Washington D.C. on Saturday. Online commenters showed interest in the female agent’s drawn Glock pistol and what appeared to be a Holosun sight. Photo: Reuters

No 74 was among the first batch of properties inspected after landslides exposed unauthorised building works at homes along the estate’s seafront. Photo: Elson Li

China faces a France-sized demographic loss that threatens coastal growth: analysts

Elderly people rest at a park in Fuyang in eastern China’s Anhui province on September 13, 2024. Photo: AFP

China blocks Meta’s Manus deal after months-long probe, thwarting purchase

The Manus AI logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen with the Meta logo in the background. Photo: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Pop Mart comes with a cool idea for red-hot Labubu: mini-fridges

Labubu plush toys and keychains became popular globally in 2024. Photo: Dickson Lee

The Labubu IP has surged in popularity among China’s Gen Z. Photo: Getty Images

Chinese supercomputers help crack the mystery of Yellowstone’s volcanic plumbing: paper

The Steamboat Geyser erupts in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Chinese scientists say Yellowstone’s magma channels were not blasted open by magma forcing its way upward, as long believed. Photo: Reuters

Is it wrong to show Taiwan army officers a film about KMT forces fighting Japan in WWII?

Wellington Koo, Taiwan’s defence minister, has pledged a review of the island’s oversight mechanisms, including stricter vetting of teaching materials. Photo: Reuters

A poster for “The Eight Hundred”, a mainland Chinese film directed by Guan Hu. The 2020 film dramatises the 1937 defence of Shanghai’s Sihang Warehouse during the Battle of Shanghai. Photo: Handout

Taiwanese military reservists conduct pre-combat training during the annual Han Kuang military exercises in July 2025. Photo: EPA

News

World

From Hong Kong luxury homeowner’s HK$1 million fine to debate within US firearm community, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting


From Hong Kong luxury homeowner’s HK$1 million fine to debate within US firearm community, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.


King Charles’ gift amuses Chinese, anti-spy agency makes allegation: SCMP’s 7 highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From Hong Kong luxury homeowner’s HK$1 million fine to debate within US firearm community, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. US economic gap over China to widen, but Iran might bring them closer: former UN official

From Hong Kong luxury homeowner’s HK$1 million fine to debate within US firearm community, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting